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NPR StaffIt's been nearly a year since Mayor Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency in Flint, Mich.Before she became mayor, the city switched its water supply to the Flint River in a cost-cutting measure. The water wasn't properly treated, which caused corrosion in old pipes — leaching lead and other toxins into the city's tap water. People were afraid to drink or even bathe in the water.Since then, a lot has happened.Charges were brought against several Michigan state officials and one Flint city employee for their roles in the water crisis. Researchers say while the tap water is better than it was, people should still use filters on their faucets. The city has replaced hundreds of contaminated lead pipes, but that is not to say the problem is solved.On Thursday, the U.S. House passed measures directing $170 million in aid for Flint. The bills will now move on to the Senate. Weaver spoke with All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro about the obstacles to ending the water crisis.InterviewIn Flint, Mayor Works On Rebuilding Pipes — And Trust In The Cityhttp://wrkf.org/post/flint-mayor-works-rebuilding-pipes-and-trust-city
62790 as http://wrkf.orgThu, 08 Dec 2016 23:37:00 +0000In Flint, Mayor Works On Rebuilding Pipes — And Trust In The CityNPR StaffThirty years ago, a new face debuted on daytime television: Oprah Winfrey.The new podcast, "Making Oprah," produced by member station WBEZ, chronicles Oprah's rise to stardom. Journalist Jenn White tells Oprah's story from her early days on her first talk show, AM Chicago, through to the biggest, most outrageous moments when 40 million people a week were watching her national show.It began with a station manager in Chicago, Dennis Swanson. He was the one who spotted something in the young woman and saw a big future — one Oprah herself couldn't even imagine."She says, 'Well, you know, I'm black,' " Swanson recalls in the podcast. "I said, 'Well, I think I have that figured out,' so I said, 'We're over that hurdle.' She says, 'You know, I'm overweight.' And I said, 'Well, so am I and so are many Americans.' I said, 'Here's the deal: If we get this thing worked out, I don't want you to change a thing.' "As a young African-American girl, watching Oprah on television was really powerful for'There's Something About Her': Podcast Explores How Oprah Became Oprahhttp://wrkf.org/post/theres-something-about-her-podcast-explores-how-oprah-became-oprah
62788 as http://wrkf.orgThu, 08 Dec 2016 23:29:00 +0000'There's Something About Her': Podcast Explores How Oprah Became OprahNPR StaffFake news played a bigger role in this past presidential election than ever seen before. And sometimes it has had serious repercussions for real people and businesses.That's what happened to a pizzeria in Washington, D.C., recently, when an armed man claiming to be "self-investigating" a fake news story entered the restaurant and fired off several rounds.But once a fake news story is out there, and the harm has been done, what can a person do about it?Derigan Silver, a professor of media, First Amendment and Internet law at the University of Denver, tells NPR's Audie Cornish that victims of fake news stories have legal recourse under defamation law."Fake news sites are clearly a situation where they're engaging in a defamatory statement, a false statement about another that damages that person's reputation," Silver says. "In that situation, that is certainly actionable."Interview HighlightsOn the legal recourse for victims of fake news storiesSo in most of these situations, the personWhat Legal Recourse Do Victims Of Fake News Stories Have?http://wrkf.org/post/what-legal-recourse-do-victims-fake-news-stories-have
62757 as http://wrkf.orgThu, 08 Dec 2016 00:23:00 +0000What Legal Recourse Do Victims Of Fake News Stories Have?NPR StaffWe like to think our brains can make rational decisions — but maybe they can't.The way risks are presented can change the way we respond, says best-selling author Michael Lewis. In his new book, The Undoing Project, Lewis tells the story of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two Israeli psychologists who made some surprising discoveries about the way people make decisions. Along the way, they also founded an entire branch of psychology called behavioral economics.Lewis is also the author of Moneyball, which is about trusting statistics over intuition to build a successful baseball team. He tells NPR's Audie Cornish what Kahneman and Tversky were looking for, and how the Obama administration has put their findings to use.Interview HighlightsOn how framing something as a loss or a gain can affect the way people make decisionsIf you have a patient in a doctor's office who's just been told they have terminal cancer but there's this operation they could perform right now that might saveAre You Of Two Minds? Michael Lewis' New Book Explores How We Make Decisionshttp://wrkf.org/post/are-you-two-minds-michael-lewis-new-book-explores-how-we-make-decisions
62721 as http://wrkf.orgTue, 06 Dec 2016 22:55:00 +0000Are You Of Two Minds? Michael Lewis' New Book Explores How We Make DecisionsNPR StaffSeventy-five years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, some Americans have never stopped believing that President Franklin Roosevelt let it happen in order to draw the U.S. into World War II."It's ridiculous," says Rob Citino, a senior researcher at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. "But it's evergreen. It never stops. My students, over 30 years — there'd always be someone in class [who'd say], 'Roosevelt knew all about it.'"Conspiracy theories, half-truths and full-on lies are getting new attention as they appear alongside real news and information on social networks — but that's nothing new. The official investigations into the Japanese attack started in the 1940s, and even now, each time new documents become declassified, a headline pops up asking whether Roosevelt allowed it.No, says Roosevelt biographer Jean Edward Smith."He was totally caught off guard by it," Smith says. "The record is clear. There was no evidence of the Japanese moving toward Pearl HarborNo, FDR Did Not Know The Japanese Were Going To Bomb Pearl Harborhttp://wrkf.org/post/no-fdr-did-not-know-japanese-were-going-bomb-pearl-harbor
62696 as http://wrkf.orgTue, 06 Dec 2016 08:16:00 +0000No, FDR Did Not Know The Japanese Were Going To Bomb Pearl HarborNPR StaffMore and more of the things we use every day are being connected to the Internet.The term for these Internet-enabled devices — like connected cars and home appliances — is the Internet of things. They promise to make life more convenient, but these devices are also vulnerable to hacking.Security technologist Bruce Schneier told NPR's Audie Cornish that while hacking someone's emails or banking information can be embarrassing or costly, hacking the Internet of things could be dangerous."Unlike computers that only affect bits, the Internet of things affects objects," Schneier says. "My Internet thermostat turns my heat on and off, Internet-enabled car drives around, and these devices are vulnerable to hacking. And the fear is that they can be used, you know, to kill people."Schneier says there is currently no government regulation around the Internet of things, and he fears it will take a disaster for that to change. There also isn't an organized effort by manufacturers to make theseDespite Its Promise, The Internet Of Things Remains Vulnerablehttp://wrkf.org/post/despite-its-promise-internet-things-remains-vulnerable
62689 as http://wrkf.orgTue, 06 Dec 2016 00:27:00 +0000Despite Its Promise, The Internet Of Things Remains VulnerableNPR StaffOn Donald Trump's visit to Carrier in Indiana on Thursday, he mentioned a phone call that he made to the CEO of United Technologies, the air conditioning company's parent. As Trump describes it, that call led to Carrier announcing it will not move as many jobs to Mexico as it had planned."We can't allow this to happen anymore with our country. So many jobs are leaving and going to other countries, not just Mexico," Trump said.Trump made it sound as though the decision to keep 1,000 Carrier jobs in the U.S. was done over a handshake. The decision appears to have involved a grab bag of concessions from Indiana, including a multiyear, $7 million incentive package.It's not certain, but there may have been some strong-arm tactics involved, too. United Technologies is a defense contractor that gets a lot of money from the government. Earlier this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders suggested that Trump should use that as leverage in negotiations to keep Carrier in Indiana.Trump himself implied thatIs Trump's Deal With Carrier A Form Of Crony Capitalism?http://wrkf.org/post/trumps-deal-carrier-form-crony-capitalism
62567 as http://wrkf.orgFri, 02 Dec 2016 10:20:00 +0000Is Trump's Deal With Carrier A Form Of Crony Capitalism?NPR StaffThe late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro loved baseball. And you may have heard that he was such a good player that years before the Cuban revolution, he tried out for the New York Yankees in Havana.Or not. This myth has persisted for years, and though it might be fun to contemplate the historical consequences of this "What if?" scenario, Adrian Burgos Jr., University of Illinois history professor and author of Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos and the Color Line, says it simply didn't happen."He didn't try out for the Yankees," Burgos tells NPR's David Greene.It's possible Castro went to an open tryout held by the Washington Senators in Havana, Burgos says, but he was not "at the level of a talented Cuban ballplayer where the scouts went looking for him."Interview HighlightsOn teams that were active – and weren't – in Cuba before the revolution, which began in 1953The Yankees weren't active in Cuba to scout any talent. They weren't active in Latin America until the 1960s. So itNo, Fidel Castro Wasn't Nearly A New York Yankeehttp://wrkf.org/post/no-fidel-castro-wasnt-nearly-new-york-yankee
62488 as http://wrkf.orgWed, 30 Nov 2016 10:08:00 +0000No, Fidel Castro Wasn't Nearly A New York YankeeNPR StaffStephen Moore, a senior economic adviser to Donald Trump, was once a doctrinaire libertarian and free-trader. Now, Moore says: "Donald Trump's victory has changed the [Republican] Party into a more populist working-class party in some ways that conservatives like myself will like and some that we'll be uncomfortable with."Moore recently told House Republicans that the Republican Party under Trump is no longer the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan. In an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep, Moore explains the change:"I worked for the Gipper. ... I think Ronald Reagan truly was one of our great presidents. I think if I had my way I would put him on Mount Rushmore. But the point I've made over and over to these lawmakers is, look, this is 2016. It's not 1986. We have different problems in this country [than] we did when Ronald Reagan was president. The voters have different concerns. ... [Trump] saw something out there in the voters that no one else saw."Moore, an economic consultant withTrump's Populism Is Transforming GOP's Economics, Adviser Sayshttp://wrkf.org/post/trumps-populism-transforming-gops-economics-adviser-says
62448 as http://wrkf.orgTue, 29 Nov 2016 09:53:00 +0000Trump's Populism Is Transforming GOP's Economics, Adviser SaysNPR Staffhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bgemCaaQkU Andy Grammer's latest single, "Fresh Eyes," is a love song — but it grew in meaning when he filmed the music video on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Over the course of the video shoot, the pop singer and his team provided haircuts, clean clothes, meals and kindness to people seeking shelter at the Union Rescue Mission in L.A."We probably spent, I don't know, eight to 10 hours down there, just to really get to know people and share some love with them," Grammer says. "It was really powerful — by far the best day of my year."Grammer joined NPR's Scott Simon to tell stories from that day in L.A. Hear their full conversation at the audio link, and watch the video for "Fresh Eyes" above. Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit OF SONG, "FRESH EYES") ANDY GRAMMER: (Singing) I got these fresh eyes. Never seen you before like this. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Andy Grammer's new single, "Fresh Eyes," is a love song. But the song got added meaning when he providedIn Andy Grammer's New Video, A Call To Act Against Homelessnesshttp://wrkf.org/post/andy-grammers-new-video-call-act-against-homelessness
62383 as http://wrkf.orgSat, 26 Nov 2016 14:28:00 +0000In Andy Grammer's New Video, A Call To Act Against HomelessnessNPR StaffLooking for a diversion from divisive political conversation this Thanksgiving? StoryCorps suggests using its smartphone app as part of its Great Thanksgiving Listen project.The project asks middle, high school and college students to record conversations with elders using the app. The app can suggest questions to ask. "We're not asking people on the app to argue about politics," StoryCorps founder Dave Isay recently told NPR's Linda Wertheimer. "It's about talking about who they are, where they come from, what their dreams are."Users can both record the interview and upload it to the StoryCorps archive in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress."We're hoping that a lot of people will participate, and it'll be a moment of unity at this very difficult time when the country is ripped down the middle," Isay said.StoryCorps also created a toolkit for the project for teachers to help students prepare for their interviews. Here are some interview tips.Last year — the pilotTo Survive A Post-Election Thanksgiving, Try StoryCorps' Oral History Project http://wrkf.org/post/survive-post-election-thanksgiving-try-storycorps-oral-history-project
62329 as http://wrkf.orgThu, 24 Nov 2016 10:09:00 +0000To Survive A Post-Election Thanksgiving, Try StoryCorps' Oral History Project NPR StaffIt's Thanksgiving, which means you'll be seeing Aunt Martha's sweet potato casserole encased in a marshmallow cloud that has drifted too close to the sun. Cousin Joe, who's just here for the game, will bring his famous can-shaped cranberry sauce that looks like it's been attacked by a Slinky. Then your sister will arrive with her sad concoction of green beans drowning in cream-of-mushroom soup, flecked with floating onion strings that have been flung like debris from the Titanic.There's a certain charm to these standbys, and by golly, you might even like them. But maybe this year you're ready for a change. Not a big one, like subbing tofu for turkey. Just a twist, you know — one that keeps you from being accused of breaking tradition but also says "It's my kitchen and unless you're helping, go away." And, hey, wouldn't we also like to keep it simple so that we actually have some time to enjoy ourselves?Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep spoke with chef Mike Isabella, a Washington, D.C.At Thanksgiving, If You Take Sides, Make Sure They're As Tasty As Thesehttp://wrkf.org/post/thanksgiving-if-you-take-sides-make-sure-theyre-tasty-these
62295 as http://wrkf.orgWed, 23 Nov 2016 09:57:00 +0000At Thanksgiving, If You Take Sides, Make Sure They're As Tasty As TheseNPR StaffImagine a wave so big it darkens the horizon as it rolls in.Just south of San Francisco, this surf spot is called Mavericks.Sarah Gerhardt is the first women to surf this famously dangerous big-wave spot. She did that in 1999 when she was 24. Now, at 42, she's one of six women comprising the first women's heat in a surfing contest there.The women will compete for $30,000 in the Titans of Mavericks, surfing waves that swell well beyond 30 feet."Mavericks is the best big wave spot in California, regularly 40 to 50 and sometimes 60 to 100 feet tall with huge rocks, and there's a shark attack out there every year," Gerhardt tells NPR. "People's leashes have been caught in the mouths of sharks, and it is very cold. That water temperature gets down to 48 or 49 and then of course the air temperature in the winter can get be in the 30s or 40s. It's terrifying — but I wanted to surf it anyway."Gerhardt started surfing as a teenager, and eventually was lured by big waves — even though, she says,Women Take On Big-Wave Surfing, Once The Domain Of Men, At Maverickshttp://wrkf.org/post/women-take-big-wave-surfing-once-domain-men-mavericks
62296 as http://wrkf.orgWed, 23 Nov 2016 09:56:00 +0000Women Take On Big-Wave Surfing, Once The Domain Of Men, At MavericksNPR StaffWhen you're facing a major life change, it helps to talk to someone who's already been through it. All Things Considered is connecting people on either side of a shared experience, and they're letting us eavesdrop on their conversations in our series Been There.Midway through college, Stephen Agyei quit the track and field team, signed up for a stand-up competition, got on stage and did his first set. He knew immediately that he was going to do whatever it takes to make it in comedy."I would watch my stand-up in comparison to other comics," he says. "I would go do a five-minute set one night, I would put it on the TV and right next I'd put a DVD of Chris Rock in. And I'd watch a minute of mine and then 10, 15 minutes of his. I'm like, 'How did he get all them damn laughs, and I got one laugh?' "Today, Stephen is a fixture on the comedy scene in Denver, where he lives. He's opened for well-known comics like Roseanne Barr and Dave Chappelle, and he's thinking about the next step. HeTo Make It In Comedy You Have To Bet On Yourselfhttp://wrkf.org/post/make-it-comedy-you-have-bet-yourself
62288 as http://wrkf.orgTue, 22 Nov 2016 23:34:00 +0000To Make It In Comedy You Have To Bet On YourselfNPR StaffIn 1941, science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov stated "The Three Laws of Robotics," in his short story "Runaround."Law One: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.Law Two: A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.Law Three: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.These laws come from the world of science fiction, but the real world is catching up. This month, a law firm gave Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University $10 million to explore the ethics of artificial intelligence — or AI. This comes after industry leaders recently joined together to form the group called the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society.Peter Kalis is chairman of the law firm, KScholars Delve Deeper Into The Ethics Of Artificial Intelligence http://wrkf.org/post/scholars-delve-deeper-ethics-artificial-intelligence
62250 as http://wrkf.orgTue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000Scholars Delve Deeper Into The Ethics Of Artificial Intelligence NPR Staffhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfRxeD34unQ BADBADNOTGOOD knows its name is a little strange. The jazz group's bassist, Chester Hansen, says it invites jokes from nearly everyone the band meets. "It's probably the most punned name I have ever heard," he says.BADBADNOTGOOD also knows its songs sometimes sound more like hip-hop than jazz. But Matt Tavares, the group's keyboardist, says it makes sense for a band of young jazz players to interpret contemporary styles of music. "It's just fun," Tavares says. "We all listen to contemporary music – you know, 'cause we're contemporary people."Formed in Toronto in 2010, BADBADNOTGOOD attracted an early following by taking a loose, free-jazz approach to covers of songs by hip-hop artists like Gucci Mane and Kanye West. "When you're improvising on something or trying to express yourself emotionally, to have any kind of connection with the music is nice," Tavares says.Tavares says this approach stands in contrast to the time he spent with often'We're Contemporary People': BADBADNOTGOOD's Mixed Bag Of Inspirationhttp://wrkf.org/post/were-contemporary-people-badbadnotgoods-mixed-bag-inspiration
62249 as http://wrkf.orgMon, 21 Nov 2016 22:31:00 +0000'We're Contemporary People': BADBADNOTGOOD's Mixed Bag Of InspirationNPR Staffhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCEvfVzrkPc Nina Diaz joined the punk band Girl in a Coma when she was just 13 years old. It was her sister's band, but she quickly made a name for herself as a fierce and magnetic vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. Around that same time, she also started drinking. Then came drugs. It wasn't long before she struggled with full-on addiction to alcohol, cocaine and meth. Now Diaz is clean, and she's just released a new solo album, The Beat Is Dead. The record chronicles her addiction, her sobriety and all the stops in between.When you're 13, being a punk frontwoman can be both terrifying and thrilling. "At first, it was just a big rush, you know," Diaz says. "Ultimately, it was something very self-destructive to me, but I gained a lot out of it. I'm actually kind of happy things happened the way they did, because now I am the woman that I am today."Diaz, who's now 28, wrote some of the material on The Beat Is Dead while she was still using drugs. She saysNina Diaz Is On The Other Sidehttp://wrkf.org/post/nina-diaz-other-side
62179 as http://wrkf.orgSat, 19 Nov 2016 15:01:00 +0000Nina Diaz Is On The Other SideNPR StaffHere's a succinct analysis of last week's presidential vote:"Trump understands the new ecosystem, in which facts and truth don't matter. You attract attention, rouse emotions, and then move on."Those are the words of President Barack Obama, quoted by David Remnick — the editor of The New Yorker — in Remnick's forthcoming article, "IT HAPPENED HERE: A President confronts an election that changes everything — and threatens his legacy." The article is based on Remnick's conversations with Obama just before and a few days after Election Day.Interview HighlightsFirst, the new ecosystem — explain what Barack Obama meant by that.The new ecosystem of media — meaning a kind of post-fact world in which, on Facebook, an article in The New York Times has the same seeming heft as an article about how Pope Francis endorsed Trump for president. In other words, fake news. It's an entirely different way of viewing the world — one largely based on fact, and one largely on the opposite.And this isn'tNew Yorker Editor David Remnick Describes Obama's Reactions To Electionhttp://wrkf.org/post/new-yorker-editor-david-remnick-describes-obamas-reactions-election
62161 as http://wrkf.orgSat, 19 Nov 2016 01:17:00 +0000New Yorker Editor David Remnick Describes Obama's Reactions To ElectionNPR StaffIn 1964, the U.S. surgeon general released a report on the health impacts of smoking, and it shaped the public and government's attitudes toward tobacco for years to come. On Thursday, another surgeon general's report was issued, this time tackling a much broader issue: addiction and the misuse and abuse of chemical substances. The focus isn't just one drug, but all of them.Though little in the report is new, it puts impressive numbers to the problem, and some surprising context: More people use prescription opioids than use tobacco. There are more people with substance abuse disorders than people with cancer. One in five Americans binge drink. And substance abuse disorders cost the U.S. more than $420 billion a year.Dr. Vivek Murthy, who is closing in on his second year as surgeon general, told NPR's Steve Inskeep Thursday on Morning Edition that he hopes putting all the data together will help Americans understand that these problems share a common solution. And it starts with kids.Surgeon General Murthy Wants America To Face Up To Addictionhttp://wrkf.org/post/surgeon-general-murthy-wants-america-face-addiction
62102 as http://wrkf.orgThu, 17 Nov 2016 12:50:00 +0000Surgeon General Murthy Wants America To Face Up To AddictionNPR StaffWhen he was growing up in New York, All Things Considered host Robert Siegel always knew that Bellevue Hospital was a city institution.But it wasn't until he read David Oshinsky's book Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital, that he realized the hospital was a pioneering institution for all of American medicine.The hospital, which grew out of an almshouse founded in 1736, has been in the forefront of many innovations in medicine in the U.S. Advances that started at Bellevue included ambulances, a maternity ward, nursing school, a children's clinic and forensic pathology.Siegal talked with Oshinsky, a professor of history at New York University, about the hospital and how it reflects the advances and failures of medicine. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.On Bellevue's origins in colonial New YorkBellevue in the 18th century was really both a poorhouse and a pest house. It was a place you came to die. It really began withBellevue Hospital Pioneered Care For Presidents And Paupershttp://wrkf.org/post/bellevue-hospital-pioneered-care-presidents-and-paupers
62091 as http://wrkf.orgWed, 16 Nov 2016 22:21:00 +0000Bellevue Hospital Pioneered Care For Presidents And Paupers